


Group Project

by MiniNephthys



Category: Fate/stay night (Visual Novel)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-31 09:45:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'd care.  If you got hit by a bus, or if you were held back a grade and I couldn't see you as much."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Group Project

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Koto who is amazing and also deserves better than this. And may even get better than this if I figure out how to brain the other half of what she asked for.

It's not that no girls like Shirou. Some do. When group projects are assigned, Shirou doesn't have to end up working with Shinji (who doesn't pull his weight) or Issei (who is way too strict and serious about this kind of thing). For three-person projects he usually works with a couple of girls who recognize that he's a hard worker without shoving all the work onto him.

Nice people exist in high school too, after all.

Shinji is usually with girls he can lure into doing all the work for him, but this only works once or twice on the same people. Towards the end of the year, his targets are much more limited, and for the last assignment of the year he approaches Shirou's friends (who are already sitting with Shirou) and asks, "Do you two have room for a third?"

"Sorry, we're working with Emiya already," one of them answers, barely looking at him.

Shinji keeps smiling. "I didn't notice him. I guess I could stand to be a fourth."

"The teacher said groups of three exactly, or else it won't be evenly divided," says the other girl.

Shinji keeps smiling, though there's a twitch in his eye. "You've had this group since the start of the year, haven't you? Isn't it time for a change?"

"We've had consistently high grades since the start of the year," says one. "Let's keep that the same."

"But-"

"Matou, please find another group. You're keeping us from starting our work."

So saying, the girls both turn to Shirou and begin to discuss the project, ignoring Shinji's splutters and protests. Shirou just catches Shinji's eye once and shakes his head.

Shinji ends up working with a couple of guys and, predictably, not doing any of the work. They rat him out to the teacher - Shinji gets a failing grade while the other two get passes.

The day the grades come back, Shinji tracks Shirou down after school and practically shoves him into the archery dojo under the pretense that there's work that needs to be done. Then he glares at Shirou's back while he gets to work.

Shirou looks up at him. "Shinji, if you were just going to stay and watch, you could be doing this yourself."

"Why should I?" Shinji crosses his arms. "You're such a hard worker and you produce such good results. I don't see any reason to get in your way."

"I can teach you how to do this without me," says Shirou.

"I'm not interested, Emiya. Now get back to work." Shinji continues to sulk while Shirou gives up on talking to him. After a little bit, he grumbles to himself. "When did Emiya get girls of his own, huh..."

"People don't like doing all the work that was meant for other people to help with. Girls are people. It's pretty simple. Are you still mad about that project?" Shirou asks, looking back up at him.

"No." When Shirou continues to look dubious, Shinji relents. "Yes. Only a little."

"You brought it on yourself by alienating half the class. I don't know what you were expecting. Besides, you'll still pass, right?" Shirou thinks for a moment. "You told me your grandfather doesn't expect you to get the highest marks anyway."

Shinji snorts. "Grandpa doesn't care if I'm hit by a bus."

Shinji seems like he's being honest, and honest with Shinji is raw and dangerous. Shirou moves carefully. "I'd care. If you got hit by a bus, or if you were held back a grade and I couldn't see you as much."

"....Really?" Shinji is staring at him in complete surprise.

"Yeah. I like seeing you around. We're friends, aren't we?" It doesn't seem so strange to Shirou, but to Shinji it's obviously a shock.

"We are friends. -Would you look at the time, I've just remembered that I have things to do! Keep up the good work." Shinji rushes past him out of the archery dojo. Muffling a laugh, Shirou finishes up the last parts of the work, and then leaves school for the afternoon.

Shinji doesn't talk much to Shirou for the next few days, or really much to anyone compared to his usual. He seems to be paying attention in class and doing his homework, instead. Shirou's proud of him.

Summer rolls around. People make plans to hang out with their friends. Shinji comes to Shirou's door and announces after Shirou opens the door, "We're going to go get ice cream."

"It's not even dinnertime yet," Shirou answers. "Hello, Shinji."

Shinji frowns. "It doesn't have to be. Live on the wild side a little, Emiya."

"All right. Should I get Fuji-"

" _No!_ " Shinji coughs into his hand and tries again. "I was thinking that just you and me could hang out together. It's the summer of our youth, after all, and Fujimura-sensei will just make things awkward."

That makes sense to Shirou. "That's fine. Just let me get my shoes on."

Shinji has scouted out a relatively new ice cream store, the kind with twenty different flavors to pick from and as many toppings. Shirou's tastes lie towards the boring, and he walks out of the store with three scoops of chocolate in a cup eyeing Shinji's blueberry cheesecake mint chocolate with sprinkles concoction with some curiosity. "Does that really taste good together?"

"I have no idea. I'm trying a lot of things I didn't expect to try today." Shinji takes a lick of the top scoop. "One of them is turning out fine so far."

Shirou gets the feeling that he doesn't fully understand this conversation. He just nods and starts eating his ice cream.

They walk aimlessly, chatting about the coming year, summer plans, the story Shinji heard once of a woman seeing Elvis's face in her ice cream, whatever comes to mind. Shinji isn't so bad to talk to when he doesn't have any reason to be mad, and Shirou finds himself enjoying the afternoon even more than the treat. Eventually the ice cream is gone and they're back outside Shirou's home.

"So." Shinji fiddles with his fingers. "I had fun today."

"So did I. We should do this again sometime." Shirou smiles. "Thanks for inviting me out, Shinji."

Shinji smiles back earnestly - Shirou knows how to tell his expressions apart by now. "I'd love to."

Then he leans in and pecks Shirou on the lips for just a moment, turns, and runs like the hounds of hell are after him while Shirou stares at the space where he just was.

...Wow, Shirou was really stupid about this, wasn't he.

He's going to have to call Shinji soon or he'll definitely assume rejection.


End file.
